ad concealed under his
jacket, and which was to be placed in the armory until time to start
upon the journey; and the ever watchful enemy saw that something very
important was going on among the Grecian heroes.

In truth there was something very important, for they were arranging to
go upon their journey wearing their helmets with waving plumes, and with
their shields and spears, and Franz and Paul were to have weapons to
place with that of Fritz in the armory. But who can describe their
surprise and dismay when that evening they went to put the
hunting-knife in its proper place, they found the armory plundered, and
everything gone! The enemy had come in an unguarded moment and carried
everything away. But where? That was the question, for they had not the
least doubt as to who did it, for the tracks of boys' boots were in the
moist ground, and Fritz was quite sure that he knew whose they were,
whereupon Franz laughed, although as much grieved as were the others
over the loss of their belongings.

"Yes, laugh as much as you please!" cried Fritz excitedly, "but when Mr.
Colbert's house was robbed he tracked the thief by a piece of buttered
bread which he had dropped in his flight. A piece bitten out of it
showed that the thief had lost a front tooth, and he had the man whom he
suspected arrested. When he came to trial they made him bite into a
piece of buttered bread, and it was exactly like the piece that Mr.
Gilbert had found."

"Your story is very good, but what help will it be in this case?"
enquired the logical Franz. "Do you think the Trojans will be so
obliging as to walk here and put their feet in the tracks?"

"Then name a better way."

"I don't know any."

"Then the only way left," remarked the reflective Paul, "is to watch the
faces of the suspects when we go to school in the morning, and maybe we
can spot the ones who did it."

As there seemed nothing more to do about it, they left the rifled armory
and went to their homes.

The next morning as they neared the schoolyard they heard loud laughing
which they could not lay altogether to the near approach of the holiday.
They hurried in, and were quickly surrounded by their schoolmates who
with laughter and jeers pointed to the top of the climbing pole; and oh,
misery! there hung the helmet of Achilles, its plume waving in the
morning air. Speechless and helpless the three friends stood, and would
have given the last penny in their savings banks if a ha